consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)əm 

-ˈsȯr-tē-əm

plural consortia kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)ə 

-ˈsȯr-tē-ə

also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

A consortium of researchers decoded the honeybee genome.

2

: association, society

3

: the legal right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

Synonyms of consortium

• organization
• institute
• association
• institution
• society
• chamber
• fraternity
• group
• council
• board

Examples of consortium in a Sentence

A Japanese consortium invested millions in the technology.

a consortium for the prevention of animal cruelty

Recent Examples on the Web

Launched by the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2021, partners of the consortium engage in activities and programming seeking to strengthen the role of HBCU museums and archives in America. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

The CalCompute consortium is its strongest provision, a positive-sum intervention that addresses competitive concentration head-on. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 15 May 2026

The International Pediatric Association, a consortium of pediatric societies, said last year that e-cigarettes have not proved significantly effective at getting people to stop smoking. —Aria Bendix, NBC news, 15 May 2026

The city got a one-time payment of a little more than $1 billion, while the consortium, Chicago Parking Meters LLC, has already seen $2 billion in profit from Chicagoans, after less than 20 years into the deal. —Jackson Potter, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fellowship, from consort-, consors — see consort entry 1

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-shəm; -shē-əm 

plural consortia -shə, -shē-ə  also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

2

[Medieval Latin, marital partnership, from Latin] : the right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

also : the right of a parent or child to the company, affection, and assistance of the other

suing for loss of consortium

compare society

Etymology

Latin, sharing, partnership, from consort-, consors sharer, partner